Social Psychology

Quick Review

Social Psychology Quiz

Review Questions

1. Suppose Jessica severely sprains her ankle
after stumbling off a curb and has trouble walking. Would a social psychologist
expect her to be more likely to get help on a street in New York City or on a
small side street in rural Wyoming? Why?

Social psychology research suggests that Jessica is more likely to get
help in rural Wyoming because of the bystander effect. People are less
likely to offer help to someone who needs it if other people are also
present, and the probability that a person will receive help decreases as
the number of people present increases. A person does not feel as
responsible for helping someone if several others are also present, since
responsibility is distributed among all those present.

2. Why do researchers find prejudice hard to
measure?

People differ in the type and extent of prejudice they harbor. Also,
people often do not admit to being prejudiced.

3. What are the differences in attribution
style between individualist and collectivist cultures?

People in collectivist cultures tend to be less susceptible to the
fundamental attribution error than people in individualist cultures. People
from collectivist cultures are more likely to believe that a person’s
behavior is due to situational demands rather than to personal attributes.
Finally, people from collectivist cultures are also less susceptible to the
self-serving bias.

4. What is Philip Zimbardo’s prison study, and
what did it demonstrate?

The prison study showed how people are influenced by roles. Zimbardo
assigned one group of college student volunteers to play the role of prison
guards in a simulated prison environment. He provided these students with
uniforms, clubs, and whistles and told them to enforce a set of rules in the
prison. He assigned another group of students to play the role of prisoners.
Zimbardo found that as time went on, some of the “guard” students became
increasingly harsh and domineering, while the “prisoner” students also
internalized their role: some broke down and others rebelled or became
passively resigned to the situation.

5. In Stanley Milgram’s obedience study, what
circumstances resulted in the highest levels of obedience?

In Milgram’s obedience study, the highest levels of obedience occurred
in the following circumstances: A. When commands were given by an authority
figure rather than another volunteer. B. When experiments were done at a
prestigious institution. C. When the authority figure was present in the
room with the subject. D. When the learner was in another room. E. When the
subject did not see other subjects disobeying commands.